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1/2 Penny Prince Edward Island - Self government and free trade
| Issuer | Prince Edward Island |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
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| Currency | Pound (1790-1871) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain field entirely occupied by the four-line political inscription SELF / GOVERNMENT / AND / FREE TRADE, rendered in bold raised serif capital letters arranged in a stacked, centrally aligned format. The words fill the field from upper to lower register, with AND appearing on its own line between GOVERNMENT and FREE. The design is enclosed by a continuous beaded border at the rim, with no pictorial devices or other ornamentation. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Prince Edward Island issued this halfpenny token in 1857 under a colonial arrangement that gave the island unusual latitude in managing its own trade affairs. The "free trade" inscription was a pointed political statement — PEI had long resisted the tariff structures imposed on other British North American colonies, partly to protect its timber and agricultural exports to Britain. Self-government had been granted in 1851, and this token effectively broadcast both achievements on circulating currency.
Struck in Birmingham by Heaton's mint, the issue filled a chronic small-change shortage on the island. The PE-7C designation distinguishes it from closely related varieties by die characteristics documented in Courteau's reference work.